Emmy-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan joined more than 100 New Yorkers Monday night in a "sleep out" to raise funds for homeless youth in NYC.
"We are standing in support — sleeping in support, I should say — to raise money and awareness about Covenant House," the actress, who plays Midge in Amazon’s "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," said at the Javits Center.
Brosnahan traded in her mattress for a sleeping bag and spent the night outside of the convention center on 34th Street. By way of fan donations supporting her "sleep out," the actress helped raise more than $26,000 for the Covenant House, a Manhattan-based, privately funded agency providing housing, food and other forms of care to those who are homeless in the city.
“This ‘sleep out’ is not about simulating homelessness, but about uniting in solidarity with the 4.2 million young people who experience homelessness each year," the actress said in an emailed statement ahead of the event.
Monday night marked her seventh time sleeping out for the cause. “It is an event that will profoundly change the life of anyone who participates, and I’m honored and excited to be sleeping out again,” she said.
A total of 110 participants — including Brosnahan’s "Maisel" co-star Zachary Levi and "The Good Fight’s" Audra McDonald — helped raise $365,000, according to a Covenant House representative.
“The stage and screen community are our biggest champions … the unity they display when [they] come together in solidarity on this night shows how dedicated they are to ending youth homelessness," Kevin Ryan, president and CEO of Covenant House said. "These are people who give, so freely, their time and talent. Their love is oxygen to our young people at Covenant House.”
The "sleep out" stretched 12 hours, from 7 p.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday. Brosnahan and those participating were given "cardboard boxes, sleeping bags and a piece of pavement for the night," according to a release.
Those who participated were required to raise a minimum of $1,500.
